Male figure-skating rivals Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy McElroy (Jon Heder) are banned from competition after getting into a brawl when they tie for Olympic gold.  When both fall on hard times, they decide to team up and try to go for Olympic gold again, as a pairs team.

CRITIQUE

Blades of Glory is never trying to be more than goofy fun, and it sometimes succeeds; it’s hard to imagine any movie featuring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder that wouldn’t be funny.  Still, this film just feels a bit slight throughout; the story is predictable, there isn’t much to characters or their personal journeys, and though there are laughs to be found, the result is just okay.

Neither actor is really required to stretch much here, with Ferrell giving a dumb likeability to the lusty, hard-drinking Chazz, while Heder is the naively innocent Jimmy.  The conflict between them strikes a few comic sparks, but much of the humor here hangs on the simple specter of watching two men figure-skate together, which is mined for some funny visual bits, particularly in the practice sequences and in the routine.  Still, there’s only so far this can be taken, and the plot just feels padded, including a late chase on skates in which Chazz tries to get to the arena in time to compete.

Helping a lot are supporting characters Stranz and Fairchild, the brother-sister skating team who are Chazz and Jimmy’s main rivals here; Will Arnett and Amy Poehler (who are married in real life) have some creepy fun bringing the duo to life.  Somewhat less successful is the romance between their younger sister Katie (The Office’s Jenna Fischer) and Jimmy; though Fischer is appealing, their scenes together are slow and not all that funny, often stopping the film dead.  A subplot involving a guy named Hector stalking Jimmy really doesn’t go much of anywhere.

Ultimately, it is Ferrell who really makes this work as well as it does; he brings a lot of comic energy to all of his scenes, whether they succeed or not.  On a certain put-your-mind-on-hold level this works enough to make it a look; the actors are having fun, there is a lot to make fun of in the ice skating world, and ultimately there are enough laughs to make it entertaining, though not a classic.

THE VIDEO

This version of Blades of Glory was presented in widescreen, enhanced for 16:9 TVs.  The picture quality is solid, while Chazz and Jimmy’s routines are made to look like they are actually skating.

THE AUDIO

Blades of Glory is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, as well as French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround.  Dialogue, music and sound effects come through clear.  There are English, French and Spanish subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

Return To Glory: The Making of Blades (15 minutes) is a fairly-standard, often-amusing making-of, featuring the cast as well as directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon.

Celebrities On Thin Ice (6 minutes) shows how wires, rigging and other effects were used to make it look like the actors were doing all the skating tricks.

Cooler Than Ice: The Super-Sexy Costumes of Skating (5 minutes) just focuses on the wild outfits the skaters wear.

Arnett and Poehler: A Family Affair (6 minutes) is a goofy interview with Will Arnett and Amy Poehler.

20 Questions With Scott Hamilton (5 minutes) is an interview with the former Olympic skater that gets a bit goofy as well.

Hector: Portrait of a Psychopath (3 minutes) is told from the point of view of stalker Hector, and it is more creepy than funny.

There are four Deleted Scenes totaling 9 minutes, and there is some fairly substantial stuff that was cut out from the film, from the source of Chazz’s resentment toward Jimmy (Chazz was passed over for Jimmy at the orphanage) to a duet that Chazz and Jimmy perform of the title song.

A brief Gag Reel (2 minutes) offers a few chuckles, but the funniest extra is the Alternate Takes (9 minutes), which mostly consists of Ferrell improvising funny lines that weren’t used.

Moviefone Unscripted With Will Ferrell, Jon Heder and Will Arnett (10 minutes) just has the three actors in a room answering viewer questions; it isn’t that funny.

There is a Bo Bice Video of the song “Blades of Glory” (5 minutes), and three MTV Interstitials totaling 2 minutes, which are essentially just commercials featuring the cast members.

There are Photo Galleries featuring stills from the movie and its production.

FINAL THOUGHT